No. 2 Women’s Cross Country
Final Record: 113-2
Event of the season: NAIA National Championships - 2nd of 35 (Nov. 22)
Despite finishing in second place to The Master’s University at the NAIA National Championships, Taylor gave the greatest performance in program history. Freshman Jaynie Halterman, senior Ahna Neideck, junior Noel VanderWall, sophomore Samantha Patterson, and junior Kaitlin Burden combined to shatter the previous 6k program record by two minutes and four seconds. Halterman finished as the individual champion, setting a program and course record of 20.24.7 to become Taylor’s first female individual champion.
Featured athlete: Freshman Jaynie Halterman (6 events, NAIA Individual Champion, NAIA All-American, TU 6k and 5k program records broken, 5x Crossroads League Runner of the Week)
No. 8 Men’s Cross Country
Final Record: 102-20
Event of the season: NAIA National Championships - 8th of 36 (Nov. 22)
In their best finish at the NAIA National Championships since 2020, Taylor finished in an excellent eighth place. Despite struggling early in the standings, Taylor lept from 17th place at the halfway mark to 11th place by the 5000m mark. In the final 1,000 meters, Taylor pulled out an impressive finish, with all top five runners finishing in the top 100, led by junior Luke Harber, who was named an NAIA All-American for his 25th-place finish.
Featured athlete: Junior Luke Harber (6 events, NAIA All-American, All-Crossroads League, two-time event podium finisher, Set PR at NAIA Great Lakes Challenge of 24:24:3)
No. 22 Football
Final Record: 9-2 (4-1)
Game of the season: Taylor 91 @ Madonna 28 (Nov. 9)
En route to the greatest season in Taylor football history since 1999, the 7-2 Trojans marched into Lavonia, Michigan and set a new MSFA record for points in a game in a 63-point victory, outscoring the Crusaders 77-6 through three quarters. Eleven different Taylor players found the end zone, including a 44-yard interception return by Wade Jones to open the fourth quarter. Taylor took home all three MSFA Player of the Week awards and continued on their journey to entering the NAIA Top 25.
Featured athlete: Senior running back Jameson Chesser (11 games, 1174 rush yards, 22 all-purpose touchdowns, All-MSFA Second Team, MSFA record 7 rushing touchdowns in a game, Taylor record 20 rushing touchdowns in a season)
No. 16 Women’s Golf
Fall Record: 35-21
Event of the season: Saints Classic Invitational - 1st of 10 (Oct. 14-15)
Taylor opened their season with back-to-back event victories, but it was their final event of the year that could be argued as their most impressive. Facing conference rivals the Bethel Pilots and the Grace Lancers, Taylor outpaced both of them with junior Margarita Garrido, freshman Elanor Schuitema and junior Shayne Lim taking first, second and fifth, respectively. Taylor ended their fall season with a dominant victory over strong conference opponents.
Featured athlete: Junior Margarita Garrido (5 events, New career low round: 70, Three first-place overall finishes)
#RV Men’s Golf
Fall Record: 36-8-1
Event of the season: Players Club Invitational - 1st of 10 (Sept. 9-10)
The Trojans won their best competition in two years and pulled away from the field at the Players Club Invitational. Junior Matthew Albright took home the most exceptional performance in his career, tying as a medalist, leading Taylor to a 26-shot gap over Northwest Ohio.
Featured athlete: Freshman Porter Dick (5 events, 1 event win, New career low round: 66, Taylor top finisher twice)
Women’s Soccer
Final Record: 7-6-4 (4-3-2)
Game of the season: Taylor 17 vs. Defiance 0 (Sept. 11)
On a beautiful September evening in Upland, the Trojans set a new program record for goals scored in a game in a 17-goal domination of Defiance College. Junior midfielder Morgan Fletemeyer scored first with a goal off a corner kick in the second minute, and the floodgates were open. Eleven players found the back of the net on 35 shots on target as this year’s roster etched their names into the Taylor record book.
Featured athlete: Senior forward Audrey Grimm (16 starts, 8 goals, 4 assists, All-CL First Team)
Men’s Soccer
Final Record: 5-8-3 (1-6-2)
Game of the season: Taylor 2 @ Mount Vernon Nazarene 1 (Oct. 5)
Despite starting conference play 0-2-1, Taylor found a statement win on the road against MVNU. After two first-half goals, Taylor was placed on the defensive, but goalie Sam Spiegel recorded 11 saves, as MVNU suffered their first conference loss of the season.
Featured athlete: Junior midfielder Justin Devlin (16 starts, 4 goals, 4 assists, All-CL Honorable Mention)
Volleyball
Final Record: 11-20 (6-12)
Event of the season: Onset Invitational - 3 wins in 4 matches (Aug. 23-24)
Opening the year at back-to-back invitationals, Taylor was able to leave the Onset Invitational in Fort Wayne, Indiana with three dominant wins. Against three colleges receiving votes, Taylor went 2-1, taking down Indiana Tech and Talladega 3-1 and 3-0. Meanwhile, the Grenadiers of Indiana Southeast couldn’t withstand the Trojans, as Taylor took home a final 3-0 win before heading home. Junior hitter Ava Kraft and senior setter Jaylynn Dunsmore dominated the court, Kraft with 21 kills against Indiana Tech and Dunsmore with 54 kills through the tournament.
Featured athlete: Junior setter Lindsay Springer (31 matches, 10.16 A/S, 1,148 assists, All CL First-Team, 2,000 career assists)
